Appalachian couples' perspectives of their family life: a qualitative analysis

Abstract

The Appalachian family can be considered part of an ethnic group. This is due to the culture's unique, identifiable sociohistorical context, physical boundaries, family traditions, and cultural values. This qualitative study examined ten Appalachian couples' perceptions of their family life. Components of family life were accessed via semi-structured interviews. Questions elicited information about family membership, relationships, structure, functioning and values. The information provided by participants seemed to fall into two broad categories: family values and family dynamics. Themes that emerged from the interviews indicated that participants highly valued children, family of procreation, extended family,